Solar Save Sitch
by Archaon
Summary: [Post Graduation] After a bad mission leading to a worse accident and light years of Bad Road, Kim and Ron must sit back and watch as the world’s scientists, good and evil, collectively try to save the world. Eventually a Zorpox story.
1. Mightily Muddy Mission

**Solar Save Sitch**

By Archaon

Welcome, welcome. I decided that instead of writing nothing while thinking about my other stories, I could branch into a new category instead. That's right people, my first KP entry and hopefully not the last.

Disclaimer: I do not own any non-original characters, places, items or situations that might appear in this chapter or any subsequent ones. Now stop reading meaningless disclaimers and start reading the actual story.

- - -

**Chapter 1: Mightily Muddy Mission**

"Spectrometer glasses, check. Two grappler hooks, check. Extending wire compact mirror, check. Knockout gas, check. Laser lipstick, rubber lipstick, cutting lipstick... normal lipstick? What's that doing here?"

"Rufus could use it to distract the henchpeople, KP. Draw silly faces on them and such."

"Eww. Just don't expect me to use it afterwards, Ron. Kimmunicator watch, laser ring, decoder comb, portable silicon phase disrupter, diablo sauce-extra spicy, sonic mines, holographic decoys, collapsible boomerang, EMS gun, magnetic hair pins..."

"Don't forget Rufus!"

"Hey!"

"Rufus is not a gadget, Ron..."

Sitting in the rusty haul of an airborne old cargo plane, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable were busy taking inventory.

Which involved Ron clumsily upending their backpacks and Kim trying to keep everything straight and organized.

"... jetpacks, helmets and battlesuit, which I'm already wearing, check. No stealth mode this time, though", commented the redhead crimefighter.

"_Sorry about that, Kim. I'm having so much trouble with the stealth projector, I'm thinking of making a new suit from scratch,"_ came the voice from her fair-sized watch.

Kim dismissed his worries. "No big, Wade. It's not like we are going to face Lorwarians again", she responded cheerfully. A week had passed since team Possible's graduation and the accompanying alien invasion and the couple had been able to kick back and enjoy some much needed quality time.

The thirteen-year-old genius seemed uncomfortable. "_We don't know what exactly we are dealing with here, Kim. Global Justice has gone all secretive on me. We only know that a military plane carrying yet another secret project was shot down in the Amazon jungle. According to my satellite readings, there are at least twenty warring teams around the aircraft's general position without counting GJ agents."_

Ron beamed at that. "So that's why you want us to have our entire arsenal with us. Any more and we'd have to use a gadget trailer. Amazon mud would clog its wheels in minutes. I know, I work at SmartyMart. The anaconda cages vex me so... " he mumbled.

Wade sighed. "_It's just that I hate sending you in blind. This muddy water sitch makes me nervous."_

Kim smiled confidently. "Amp down, Wade. We'll make do. Although if you could dig up some more about what we are looking for, it'd be swell."

The computer expert smiled for the first time since the current mission's start. "_I'll call you back later."_

"Please and thank you" replied Kim, cutting the line and regarding the battlesuit she was wearing. Its reactive material made it a perfect fit and also quite flattering, if she could judge from the appreciating glances Ron would throw when he thought she wasn't paying attention. Another thought crossed her mind and she looked at her best friend-boyfriend worried.

"If it's that bad down there, I should have asked Wade to make you a battlesuit too. Or at least the forcefield."

Ron quirked a brow. "Yo, mystic monkey master, remember?" he gloated, pointing a finger at his chest.

Kim glared at him, although he could tell she was concerned rather than tweaked. "Nice try, mystic boy. You already told me it still comes and goes. I don't want your safety to hang on such a variable, however awesome it might be."

Said blonde smiled. "No worries, Kimbo. I might not be able to lift alien robots with my mind all the time, but the Ron has everything under control" he replied, indicating a second belt he wore over the special titanium-laced reinforced belt she had given him for their first half-year anniversary as an official couple. Orange with a red clasp and a purple button in the middle, it seriously clashed with his normal mission clothes.

"Now, where have I seen this before?" she wondered, raising a brow when Ron smiled nervously.

"Not important. It might come useful in a pinch."

"Right... We better get ready. We only have two minutes left" she responded, making sure no gadgets were left behind. "Remember, we'll have to open our chutes later than usual to avoid being detected. We can fire the jetpacks if we end up too low. Just don't pull the cord until my Kimmunicator's altitude alarm beeps."

Ron seemed less than confident. "I hope you are right, KP. Good luck kiss?" he asked expectantly.

Kim sighed. "But we are on a mission, Ron. I don't know..." she replied, apparently torn, while tying her hair in a convenient ponytail.

"Technically, the mission won't start until we touch the ground" he noted sagely.

Her eyes lit up a second later. "I have a better idea, Ronnie. Just wait for it" she purred, clasping his hand and almost dragging him to the cockpit. "Thanks for the ride, Arnold. You really saved us some time," she said to the pilot while her partner smiled accordingly.

"Don't mention it, Kim" replied the pilot. "It's the least I can do after you three helped me stop those smuggling highjackers."

"So not the drama. Anyone could build a dozen stun traps with old car carcasses and chopsticks."

"No big!" chirped the naked mole rat in accordance.

Ron nodded. "I knew learning how to keep a spoon stuck on my nose would be useful one day."

Opening the cockpit door, they both looked down to the green carpet of forests below with respective visages of expectation and apprehension. "So, KP, what exactly was your idea?" he asked smiling nervously.

"This!" She exclaimed, pulling him along as she jumped. She took a second to admire the rushing air against her face then turned to her stunned boyfriend and smiled. She brought him closer and after their lips locked, she proceeded to give him one of her most passionate kisses yet. He responded eagerly, completely forgetting his fear and reveling in the experience as all of his senses entered overload zone.

Kim retained just enough presence of mind to hear her Kimmunicator beep and she was ready, pushing Ron away from her body while pulling both their parachute cords. She ignored the fact they were falling a bit too fast when she spied a team of henchmen dressed in familiar red jumpsuits directly underneath them. She waited a few more seconds, then released her chute straps, falling like a rock and using the first of the henchmen as a landing pad. Without touching the ground, she fired her jetpack, rushing horizontally and shoulder-tackling two more grunts, finishing her move by killing her thrust and coiling her body in the air to deliver a final spinning eagle kick to a fourth, particularly bulky lackey.

Landing smoothly and into a battle stance she surveyed her surroundings critically, only to gawk as Ron passed right next to her, his jetpack barely under control. After performing a dozen airborne loop-de-loops at crazy angles, he stopped by headbutting a wall of four fleeing henchmen, exchanging his flight with their consciousness and throwing all of them into a thick bed of ferns.

"Are you ok, guys?" asked Kim in trepidation, cringing as she beheld the mess of tangled bodies and limbs.

"Yuck!" responded Rufus that had fallen out of his human's pocket, spiting out a handful of leaves.

"Just peachy, KP" groaned Ron in a decidedly un-peachy voice, rising to his feet and taking a couple dizzy steps before straightening up. "Parachute strap on jetpack controls; Bad idea. Helms do save lives after all" he noted, wincing as he fingered his mutilated protective gear.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Not the most graceful landing, but I can't argue with results" she sighed eyeing the totaled band of supporting villainous sidekicks.

"You know, we still have enough time to return to the plane with our jetpacks and try again" he offered, his eyes almost glazed, a silly smile on his face.

The redhead hero smirked. "Bad boy, keep your head in the game. That's neither the first nor the last time we freefall."

Ron beamed at that. "We could make it a tradition, like a good luck ritual. After the theme song we totally need a badical good luck ritual."

Before Kim could respond, a communicator left behind by the incapacitated felons came to life. _"Mother duck to team Bravo. Over... Is this thing even working? Mother duck to team Bravo. Pick it up you idiots!"_

"Drakken!" she tried to exclaim, but Ron's finger on her lips made it come out as a whisper.

Picking the communicator, he took a deep breath. "Team Bravo to Mother duck" he responded, his voice as deep as any garden-variety grunt's. "Over."

"_About time. Did you find anything yet?"_

"I... think we are close, Dr. Drakken," he responded. "What are we looking for again?" he asked, trying to sound dumbfounded.

The blue mad scientist sounded positively exasperated, probably hearing the same question for the tenth time. _"Incompetents! I shouldn't have let Shego infiltrate the plane by herself. How she crashed it is beyond me. Listen here you blunderheads. We are looking for the crashed aircraft, Shego and the device I showed you in the briefing. If you meet Global justice idiots or Dementor's goons, contact me immediately and try to stall them. Over and out." _

"Boo-yah!" exclaimed Ron in his normal voice, apparently happy with himself, while discarding the device.

Kim smiled in response. "So Shego was after the device but something went wrong. And Dementor's involved somehow. Probably trying to race Drakken to the prize. I was hopping Drakken would mellow out after receiving that UN medal, but some people never change." Her smile went wider. "Competent show of incompetence, Ron. I'm impressed."

Ron smirked. "I'm always ready to perform, Kimila" he boasted.

Her smile turned seductive. "Keep doing so nice, Rondo, and we might find out sooner than you think" she purred, causing Ron's jaw to falter.

"Wha? Aug... Ohm..!" he responded intelligently, face matching his girlfriend's hair. They had come very close to what she was insinuating, especially after the graduation party, but for her to act so brazen during a mission...

She smirked almost evilly as she dragged him along. "Mission. Head. Game" she ordered as they vanished into the thick vegetation.

- - -

Shego was not having a good day. Having to infiltrate the military airplane as a stewardess and serve coffee to the guards had been bad enough. Beating the lot of them up and kicking them out along with their parachutes had served to somewhat restore her good mood, but the violent crash that soon followed was another story altogether.

Sighing, she looked around her once more, frowning at the total wreckage encircling her and deciding that she was truly very lucky to get away with a few bumps. Now if she could find a way to exit the means of her survival, she would soon be able to kick back and enjoy life, at least for a while.

Concentrating briefly, she called her meteor power, hands glowing with their unearthly green Go glow. She kept building up energy, her eyes closed, her face strained, and soon her whole body was engulfed in an emerald corona of power. Snapping her eyes open, she slashed with both hands at the whitish barrier before her, channeling as much energy as she could muster.

Said barrier remained unimpressed by the display.

Frowning again and sitting down, she assumed a meditative position and picked up what seemed like a three-dimensional metallic star, glaring at its silver surface that was veined with crimson power lines. Currently deactivated, the item failed to be intimidated.

Shego raised a brow when she heard faint voices among the jungle's many sounds.

"I'm telling you, KP, these mosquitoes are out to get me. Perhaps Nacos turn the blood sweeter."

"Hush, Ron, I can see the plane. It's a mess. Do you see anything on you screens, Wade?... No big, we are going in."

"I bet these bloodsuckers are waiting for their chance even now..."

"Ron, let's just..." Kim stopped talking and stood still, Ron at her side. They both needed a couple seconds to take in the scene. In the epicenter of the crash and levitating just above the scorched ground stood a semi-transparent sphere three meters in diameter, white pulses of energy dancing along its flawless surface. A stoic Shego was seated inside, ankles crossed and hands supporting the back of her head.

"Just my luck" she stated, almost bored. "Of all the people you and your beau had to be the first to arrive, Kimmie."

"Whoa, see that Rufus? A giant bubble. This is so cool!" chirped Ron, visibly exited.

Shego and Kim rolled their eyes at the same time. "He must be so good with children" mocked the green-clad woman, a smirk touching her lips.

Kim scowled. "You would know, miss child development diploma. What are you doing here, Shego?" she demanded, assuming a battle stance.

Her arch foe smiled condescendingly. "Oh, you know me. Nothing better to do than standing suspended in the air above a sea of junk in the middle of the Amazon forest in the freaking midday sun. It would be fun, too, if the junk had NOT been the plane I was riding on" she added sarcastically.

Ron raised a brow. "You know, there are better things to do with your time. Why, Kim's cousin, Larry could help you with that."

Kim shook her head. "Why don't you come out of that thing or at least tell us why you trashed the plane?" she offered diplomatically.

"Whoa, whoa, are you even listening to what you're saying? Why would I crash a craft I was riding on? I just tried to steal it. Do you have any idea how demanding these army guys are when it comes to coffee? I almost blew my cover before time" she vented.

"She actually managed to infiltrate a GJ mission, KP. What kind of sick and wrong technique did she use to pass as a stewardess?" pondered the blonde, hand rubbing his jaw.

Kim frowned. "Probably some kind of biodegrading mask copied from the face of a real GJ employee" she offered, deciding to humor her partner.

Ron beamed at that. "Or maybe some bioengineering tech, like Camille's. No, I know! She used a holographic projector."

Shego groaned, rubbing her temples. "There is also this newfangled, unheard of technique called 'make-up'. You should try it Princess. You need all the help you can get."

Kim ignored the crack and prepared for an attack that was already long due. Ron took a step back and assumed something loosely resembling a battle stance. Rufus peeked out of his pocket and dived back in scared. Crickets chirped in the background. Shego just sighed.

Seconds later, Ron scratched his head. "You know, KP, I think something's not right here. By now you two should have been at the third round already. Shego wouldn't just sit in this bubble unless..." he commented, actually approaching and knocking at the inert forcefield.

"Unless she can't come out," added Kim, eyes questioning. She and the green-clad villain glared at each other in an unblinking contest that would have made Big Daddy proud.

At length, Shego sighed again resigned. "I might as well tell you. I'm sick of waiting for Dr. D. and almost bored to tears. Just as I had sent everybody else on board for a chute fall and was merrily flying this thing away from its route, some kind of funky death ray came from the ground and totaled the thing."

"Probably Dementor's involvement" chirped Ron. "Ol' metalhead would do that."

"Green guy!" added Rufus, nodding empathetically.

Shego looked as if she was boiling inside. "The next time I see that pitiful gnome..." she started, stopping when Ron shuddered at her last word. "Gnome phobia?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Mild case" replied Kim casually. "Do keep talking," she added more critically.

"Not much to tell. Plane went crazy, no chute close. I used the device and it saved me, only I now have no idea how to get out" she explained, indicating the silver star in her hands.

Ron quirked his head to the side. "Let's pretend the mosquitoes that are trying to ambush me don't know what the device is..."

Shego blinked. "Why, the Anti-Entropic Gravity Isometric Stimulator, of course. You wouldn't believe how Dr. D's been whining about this thing. 'Oh Shego, with project AEGIS we will be invincible. If only we could get our hands on it. Blah, blah, blah.' You know how he gets...," she added. Kim noted with amusement that there was a note of admiration beneath her usual sarcastic tone.

"Right, project AEGIS. We knew that" followed Ron, gaining a withering glare from the green-clad villain. "Why don't you remove the batteries or something?" he asked.

Kim looked skeptical. "I don't think a highly sophisticated experimental project would use normal batteries, Ron."

Shego had to suppress a snort of laughter. "Actually pumpkin, I already tried that", she explained, juggling two ordinary batteries around her left hand's fingers. "This shield is self-sustaining."

"Are you getting this, Wade?" inquired Kim, holding her Kimmunicator in place and scanning the energy construct. "It doesn't seem too different from one of the tweeb's containment fields."

"_Sorry Kim_", he replied. "_This thing is far more complex than it looks. I will need time to analyze all the data."_

Shego rolled her eyes. "Doy! Super secret project, what did you expect?"

If looks could kill, Kim's glare would have reduced Shego to her component particles. "You" she started, her finger accusing "had better prepare for a long prison stay. You might have helped saving the world once, but that doesn't mean hijacking this plane will be tolerated."

Shego just sighed theatrically. "Really, Kimmie, you should relax and remove that hard pole you have stuck up your..."

"Shego!!" interrupted Kim exasperated.

The former team Go member glanced at Ron questioningly. "I thought that by now you would be helping your girlfriend with her stress issues, Stoppable" she noted.

"I don't have stress issues" grumbled Kim, trying her laser lipstick on the shield with no effect. "You are just annoying."

Ron blinked obliviously. "Help her how?" he asked as the silicon phase disrupter he tried proved equally ineffective.

Shego rolled her eyes. "Do I need to start from the 'birds and bees' talk or can you actually spell sex?" she exclaimed, causing both of them to blush.

"Of course I can!" blurted Ron, almost dropping the diablo sauce pack he was applying on the shield.

"Don't listen to her, Ron. She is just trying to get to us" managed the redhead as she tossed the ineffectual EMS gun back in her backpack.

Shego just smiled condescendingly. "You two are such prudes. Kids your age have needs. Have you even reached second base after more than a year dating?"

"What we do in our bedrooms is none of your business!" snapped Kim, sighing as her sonic mines failed to impress the AEGIS bubble.

The former superhero snickered. "So you DO do things in your bedroom. Third base then? Just barely I guess."

Kim removed her hand from the sphere's surface after her battlesuit failed to manipulate its energy and used it to cover Ron's mouth just before he could mumble an incriminating response. "Not a word, she is playing us both" she ordered, sighing in relief when he nodded. "Wade, we have nothing. Did you find anything that can help?"

The prodigious team spotter was busy typing at blurring speed, although his visage seemed frustrated. "_Sorry Kim, I'm stumped. By the way, two of the many teams roaming around the forest are closing in from opposite directions. _

While Kim was busy talking to Wade, Shego regarded Ron intently. "Hey, can't you use your mystic monkey mojo like last week?"

Ron seemed uncomfortable pretending to search his backpack for any forgotten gadgets he could use. "It still comes and goes, you know. I can't really control it most of the time..." he replied uneasily.

Shego raised a brow, then her eyes lit in recognition. She promptly slapped a hand on her face. "Just great. Another one with the SB-syndrome" she spat.

"SB-syndrome?" repeated Ron, actually dreading the answer.

"As in, 'superpower block syndrome'. You are afraid or unconfident of your powers and so your own mind blocks them."

Ron blinked at that. "You also had that problem?" he inquired and Shego had to sigh. She decided he could be very perceptive at times. Or asymmetrically lucky.

"Yes, sport, when I was eleven and got hit by the comet" her face changed to a wicked smile. "Kimmie can help you with that just as you help her deal with stress."

Any flabbergasted response from Ron's side was interrupted when a very familiar voice echoed through the forest.

"Kim Possible! What are you doing here?" demanded Andrew Theodore Lipsky, also know as Dr. Drakken as he and a band of twenty henchmen broke into the burnt clearing around the crashed plane.

"Why surprised?" chirped Rufus from Ron's pocket and Shego had to roll her eyes.

"That's what I've been trying to figure out for a long time", she mumbled.

Drakken ignored the exchange. "No matter" he exclaimed pompously. "This time I am the one finding you, so there!" he added, apparently pleased with himself. "Use your new repulsion rifles and attack" he ordered and all henchmen readied identical futuristic weapons.

"At last vie have reached ze plane. I told you zat pizza stop would make us late. Am I ze only one zat thinks zese things? Look, look. Kim Possible and even Drakken beat us to it."

Said blue-skinned mad scientist frowned. "What is Dementor doing here? How did he pinpoint project AEGIS that fast?" he asked no one in particular.

Shego sighed at the drama unfolding outside her bubble. "Maybe he has something to do with my plane being hit with a death ray" she replied testily.

Drakken blanched at that. "Are you alright Shego?" he asked, very concerned, before coughing fakely. "I mean, of course you are alright."

Dementor seemed uncomfortable as he and his team of grunts came in sight. "You were in ze process of stealing zat plane, Fräulein Shego? My apologies, I didn't know I was blasting you mit my sonic pulse cannon."

"Just wait until I get out of this thing and I'll give you a reason to be sorry about" she mumbled menacingly.

"That's not fair," exclaimed Drakken, who had apparently recovered his wits or rather lack thereof. "I went after project AEGIS first. I call dibs!"

Kim just shook her head and spied around for cover. She was pretty sure where this talk was leading. "It's going to be one of these sitches" she complained as she discretely dragged Ron so that both of them were behind Shego's bubble and fairly protected from both mad scientist parties.

Dementor's eye twitched in irritation. "While your dibs skills are formidable indeed, I think zat ze matter will have to be resolved with ze sonic pulse rifles my men are carrying" he exclaimed, prompting his henchmen to raise their weaponry. The two teams of mad scientist lackeys remained very still, both locked in a Western standstill right out of TrashHeap TV.

Shego sighed at the absurdity of it all while both Drakken and Dementor proved to have enough sense to slowly back away and get behind cover. Ron actually seemed ecstatic and Kim was starting to wonder whether both teams would collapse under the harsh Brazilian sun before the show could start, when her Kimmunicator beep dispelled the silence. A second later, both teams decided that the dreaded, for them, signal was as good a sigh as any.

Drakken's henchmen started using their rifles to lift large pieces of rock and shredded plane that were promptly repulsed towards their opponents. Dementor's men answered by using their pulse rifles to dissolve said projectiles into harmless pieces, shattering them in the air. A direct repulsion hit would force Dementor's henchmen into an impromptu flight, followed by an inevitably rough landing, while a direct pulse hit would drop Drakken's sidekicks to their knees for a while, sonic waves wrecking havoc on their eardrums.

"Go Wade" responded Kim after a while, wincing as large boulder smashed against Shego's bubble and pelted her and Ron with dust.

"_Did GJ order an air strike?"_ he asked worried as the mayhem around team Possible only escalated.

Kim winced as a sonic beam hit the AEGIS bubble, causing her world to resonate. "Drakken and Dementor are apparently ducking it out. No big" she responded, her eyes going wide as a large piece of the plane's wing arced above their shield and threatened to crush her. Before she could even think to launch her body in a dodge she knew she couldn't manage, Ron slapped it away with a hand engulfed in blue flames. "Ok, it is big but nothing we can't survive" she amended, blowing a grateful kiss towards her partner. He responded with a thumbs-up, then turned his attention to the carnage at the other side of the bubble.

Wade shrugged, not really able to appreciate the situation from afar. "_Anyway, I do have some news. The AEGIS technology seems to be out of this world. A rough estimate shows that a combined sonic and gravity blast might destabilize it, but the risk is too high to try something like that. The results could be... ferociously explosive and/or unpredictable._"

Shego that had been paying rapt attention to the conversation decided to intervene. "Whoa there nerdlinger. Tell me an attraction-repulsion beam is NOT based on gravity manipulation."

Kim raised a brow at that while Wade blinked. "_Why, of course it is. Why?_"

Shego frowned as more shots collided with her shield. "Because this battlefield is filled with both sonic and repulsion rifles and the shield is in the middle!" she exclaimed. "Seriously, am I the only one who pays attention here?"

The thirteen-year-old genius paled visibly. "_That's bad, that's very bad. Tell them to stop_!" he shouted.

Shego Kim and Ron regarded each other incredulously. "How exactly are we going to do that?" asked the blonde.

Nobody had a chance to conjure a retort as two different beams collided with the shield at the exact same time and all hell broke loose. Shego yelped as her bubble lost its solid state and she hit the ground beneath it. Everybody else winced as a horrible sound filled the jungle for a second, a wail straight out of the darkest nightmares. The AEGIS bubble started pulsing crazily, light and heat leaking out of its surface as water through a sieve.

"Kim! Forcefield!" ordered Wade frantically and the redhead knew not to question his urgency. With a fluid motion, she grabbed both Ron and Shego, pulling them close in a feat of strength that surprised even her. At the same time, she gave the mental command to her battlesuit and the blue globe of force surrounded all three of them. A blink later, the AEGIS bubble caused the world around them to be filled with blinding light.

"Nice save KP!" exclaimed Ron while Shego shook her head to regain her wits.

"Saved by the hero", she sneered, regarding the developing inferno outside. "This field does look better from the inside though", she mused.

Kim's triumphant smirk slowly degraded into a frown as warnings started to flash in her wrist-mounted Kimmunicator. "Bad news, guys. My shield won't last much longer. The reaction outside is getting more and more powerful" she provided and both Ron and Sego gasped. The temperature inside the bubble kept rising and to their disbelief, they watched as the blue sphere started to flicker and sputter.

The green villain turned to regard Ron. "If you have any more monkey magic in you, Stoppable, now it's a good time to use it", she declared, causing the blonde to frown.

"I have the next best thing. Hope it'll be enough" he responded. Wrapping one arm around Shego's waist tightly, he stepped backwards, pressing his back on Kim. Before either of the girls could respond, his other hand pressed the button in the middle of his belt. Just as Kim's shield flickered one last time and dissolved, an orange tube of light expanded around the three of them, pressing them even closer and protecting them from the external onslaught that was still in its crescendo.

"I can't believe you kept your Zorpox belt" commented Shego, wiggling and trying to fit better inside the new forcefield.

"I knew I had seen that belt before!" added Kim, her voice half-glad, half-accusing.

Ron, currently sandwiched between the two females, sighed. "Be glad that I did."

Shego squirmed some more, all in vain. "A bit of a tight fit though" she commented.

The blonde was being forced to move just as she did. "It's not exactly a three people device" he groaned as he too tried to find a more comfortable position.

Kim let a gasp of air right next to his ear. "Can you two stop wriggling like that?" she requested. "It's a bit uncomfortable."

Shego's face formed a smirk, which none of the other two could see and she squirmed more. Ron blinked a bit. "Kim, is there a gadget caught between us?" he asked obliviously. "There are two sharp points digging in my back," he added and Shego couldn't help but snicker, which caused all three of them to wiggle more.

"These are **so** not gadgets" groaned Kim exasperated and Ron could almost hear her blush.

"Getting exited Kimmie?" snickered Shego and Ron's eyes went wide as he finally realized what the two women were referring to. Seconds later, Shego's eyes went wide too. "Oh, your boyfriend got it, Princess. Either you are a very lucky girl or his rat is pressing on my backside."

"Ron!" exclaimed the redhead sounding extremely tweaked.

Said mystic monkey master wished for some aurora orchid pollen from the surrounding forest. That was a bit too embarrassing even for him. "It's not like I have a say in the matter" he retaliated, squeaking at the end of his sentence as Kim moved again. "It might go away if both of you stay really still."

"I bet Kimmie is just miffed she can't change places with me" she replied, her voice wicked.

"Shut up!" snapped the redhead crimefighter, unwittingly proving her claim valid.

"Trapped in a tight spot with two horny kids. Oh woe is me."

At that point, the energy outside their cylinder reached its peak, resulting into an enormous pillar of light ascending into the sky and causing the air to rumble. As soon as Ron made sure the environment outside was safe, he pressed his belt button again, with some help from Rufus, and all three sighed in relief as they managed to disentangle from each other. There was enough dust in the air to shovel the stuff, but they soon realized they where standing close to the center of a deep blackened crater that had completely concealed the crashed plane. The ground under their feet was still radiating heat and the soil had fused together to form glass.

"Can you hear me, Shego?" came the plea as Drakken plus entourage hesitantly stepped inside the crater.

Shego sighed, making sure only a ghost of a smile would reach her lips. "I'll live" she respond and her partner knew not to press for more.

"Vat about project AEGIS?" asked Dementor, picking himself from the ground.

The green-skinned thief's eyebrow twitched in rage. "Reduced to particles" she clarified, her hands lighting up. "When I finish with you, your particles might get the chance to socialize."

The helmeted Professor paled at that. "Now, Fräulein Shego. I'm sure ve can resolve zis mit maturity and conversation" he responded, moving his hands before him frantically.

Drakken remained still, a satisfied smirk on his face as Shego's Go glow lighted up his rival's day. "Isn't she wonderful?" he muttered, mostly to himself, coughing when he realized Kim and Ron where watching with rapt interest.

Ron actually smiled. "So I guess you two are still going strong..."

Purple looked decidedly funny on Drakken's face. "We don't discuss that during working hours" he answered almost lamely.

Kim tried to add something or perhaps moved to apprehend the scientist, but had to leap back to avoid a green blast. "Later kiddos", exclaimed Shego as she used the distraction to drag Drakken on the hovercraft she was riding.

"We might have lost project AEGIS, but today is Friday! If we make haste we will be just in time for caraoke night and an all-you-can-eat buffet. I have reservations", chirped the blue villain and Shego's groan sounded decidedly fake.

"That was weird", commented Kim. "Cute but weird."

"At 1500 hours, we reached the crash site. Unfortunately, team Possible's amateurish ways made sure both Dr. Drakken and Professor Dementor escaped unhindered."

Both Kim and Ron turned as one to gawk at agent Will Du that broke into the clearing leading an outfit of GJ troops. He ignored them as he kept talking into his personal recorder. "Project AEGIS is still missing, but my team and I will search for it promptly."

Kim's eye twitched once, but Ron beat her to it, probably saving GJ's top agent some pain. "The thing vaporized, dude. Even the two crazies that were after it gave up without a second thought."

Agent Du sneered. "Such a claim should only be made by true professionals" he droned.

The redhead's eye twitched a second time and she decided she had had enough. "You have a lot of nerve coming in post-drama and making tall claims! Why does GJ always hides until the coast is clear? You were absent during the Diablo sitch, you were absent during last week's alien invasion, you give us sketchy info for this mission and we still try our best!"

Du regarded her with contempt. "We came here as fast as we could, of course. My flawless intuition led us straight to the crash site."

Ron snickered at that. "I guess the giant shaft of energy reaching for the sky only confirmed you intuition."

The GJ agent ignored him "After through search we concluded the AEGIS project was destroyed during team Possible's operations. We decided to withdraw immediately and return to Colorado base for debriefing" he recorded, motioning his men to follow as he made an about face and marched away.

The blond shook his head. "That guy is getting friendlier by the day, KP" he sighed, noting with interest the large gloomy clouds that had somehow amassed above the jungle in record time.

"That, that, that...", she responded coherently, sighing as he squeezed her hand. After she calmed down a bit, they walked out of the crater and Kim couldn't help but look back. "Something doesn't feel right about this sitch" she muttered.

Ron nodded. "I know, Kim. My bad road meter is going crazy."

His girlfriend decided to lighten the mood. "How many miles did you count?" she inquired smiling.

He sighed. "For some reason, I'm using light years today..."

Kim shook her head. "Whatever it is, we'll tackle it as we always do" she riposted, reaching for her Kimmunicator. "Can you set us up for a ride back home, Wade?"

Said techno-wiz pondered at that, checking his screens. _"I actually counted on you leaving with GJ jets_" he confessed, wincing at the redhead's apparent scowl of indignation.

"I refuse to give that idiot the satisfaction, Wade" she hissed, oblivious to Ron's gestures towards the sky. "We'll take anything else."

Wade sighed but had to admit Kim's pride was hardly inexcusable. "_The closest landing stripe is six hours away_."

Kim's eyes went wide and she turned around. "Perhaps we can catch up with GJ after all. We'll just stay away from Will's ride and everything will be spanking", she chirped.

As on cue, six Global Justice hovercrafts left the ground a mere kilometer from their position and vanished in seconds. Ron knew very well his girlfriend would rarely swear and would frown at anyone else who did. However, he could hardly disagree with her outburst.

"What the HELL? They were practically next to the whole sitch! When we get back home, Betty so has some 'splaining to do about Du!" She continued with far more intense language, taking great satisfaction in speculating about agent Du's ancestry, sexual persuasion and physical configuration. Ron had to guiltily admit he was enjoying the show. He made sure to hide his grin when the downpour he had been trying to indicate started, drenching both youths and the mole rat in seconds.

"Not. One. Word", she commanded and Ron made a great show of pulling a zip over his mouth.

Wade, safe and dry back to his room, was also surprised by Kim's colorful imagination, even learning a couple new words, a real feat considering his internet expertise. He decided to avoid mentioning the hurricane their plane would have to endure on its way back home. Wading through Amazon mud would be bad enough...

- - -

I hope you like, people. I always try to keep the characters as much in character as the circumstances allow and I find this quite challenging in this story. Needless to say, your input is not only welcome but will persuade me I'm not wasting anybody's time.


	2. Inventive Ineffectuality Impressions

**Chapter 2: Inventive Ineffectuality Impressions**

- - -

Putting one foot in front of another is something the vast majority does well without really paying attention. Our brain is wired in such a way as to order and control such repetitive and boring activities automatically and without conscious thought. However, when fatigue dominates the human body and the only thing it asks is to stop walking and simply collapse in exhaustion, putting one foot in front of another and actually walking can be a brutal experience.

The two figures staggering on the Possible estate's front porch would marvel at said experience if they could muster the brainpower required.

"Are we there yet?" whined more than asked Kim, an action quite unbecoming of her.

Ron, currently in a slightly better state of mind than his girlfriend, took a second to wonder who was supporting whom. While her arm was tight over his shoulders he was sure that if she were to remove it, they would both collapse face-first on the yellow-tiled walkway, a breath from their destination.

"Just a few more steps, KP. We are at your house."

Ron decided that if not for his currently not-so-latent Mystic Monkey Powers, they would still be in the Amazon swamps. He was awed she could keep up. Another part of his brain marveled yet again at how fast the Possibles had restored their house, within a mere three days. There was still debris to be cleaned around and the garden was barren, but the building itself looked better than ever.

"Too far" she mumbled half-conscious, collapsing completely a second later. Ron struggled a bit as her leg muscles lost all tension and, to his disbelief, he managed to stumble forward along with her, his head colliding audibly with the front door.

He couldn't tell if it was seconds or hours later, but the door opened abruptly and he hugged Kim, trying to shield her from the fall. That was too much for him and he too fell into deep, exhaustion-induced sleep. The last thing he noticed was Kim's arms coiling around his body.

The figure that had opened the door took some seconds to blink away the sleep from her eyes and take in the vision before her. Drs Anne Possible-Opposable recovered her wits faster than most people would at three in the morning. Taking a deep breath to calm down, she climbed back to her room.

"James wake up. I'm going to need your help for a few minutes."

- - -

Dr Robert Chen decided he was one lucky astronomer. Not only had he survived last week's alien invasion unscathed while his lab had collapsed around him, but he had also managed to extract enough founding from the space center to completely restore his great telescope in record time. He decided it was high time he succumbed to his favorite pastime, pulling an all-nighter exploring the universe.

Before turning his lens towards the unknown parts of the sky, he started his usual routine, almost a good luck ritual. Providing the correct coordinates to the targeting systems next to his seat, he started looking to each of the close-to-earth celestial bodies. Mercury was, as he expected, invisible and Venus shone bright enough to shame anything else but the Moon. Said satellite was boring as ever; Mars was shattered beyond recognition while Jupiter was as gaseous as always. Saturn's rings were still frozen and…

The astronomer blinked abruptly, his trance disrupted. Very slowly, he guided his telescope back to the source of his disbelief. After staring for a few minutes, he pinched himself for good measure. The scene failed to change. Mars was shattered beyond recognition, apparently separated in three large chunks with another major piece missing. Countless smaller shards were floating around the former planet, forming an extensive dust cloud.

Dr Chen took a deep breath and calmly reached for his mobile, calling the space center's director. "Robert here… Yes, George, it's me.. Yes I am aware it's four in the morning and you have been planning a picnic for today… Yes it is important… No, it's not a spider on my lens this time. Remember the Mars colonization project? We have to cancel it, I fear… yes I know I was a fervent supported, but it seems that unfortunately we are a planet short… No I don't DO mind-altering substances unless you count chocolate… Look, you won't believe me until you see for yourself so come here… Yes now. I think a destroyed planet within our solar system is quite important…"

- - -

The first thing registering in Kim's mind as the veils of sleep started receding was that she was snuggling next to something warm. Touch and smell made her realize that something was her best friend-boyfriend. That fact made her calm down quite a bit, prompting a silly smile on her face and causing her to wake up slower. The next thing she registered was an unusual fatigue and soreness all over her body. She wasn't quite able to remember the circumstances yet, but she knew it involved a very exhausting mission.

Her following observation was startling. Both she and Ron were in their underwear and nothing else, matching white cotton panties and bra and Fearless Ferret boxers respectively. Opening one eye carefully, she stared right into Ron's eyes.

"G'morning sleepyhead" he managed while also smiling, apparently not really awake himself.

She returned the smile then decided to look around. "Where are we?" she asked just before realization hit her. She was snuggled up with Ron while in her underwear on her living room's sofa. That woke her up for good and she tried to swiftly rise. She didn't quite make it, collapsing back to her initial position a moment later after her body screamed to her to stay still. The red-haired crimefighter let out a pained moan.

"Take it easy, Kimmie" came a very familiar voice from behind her. "After the stunt you two pulled yesterday, I'm surprised you are even awake so soon. It's only noon after all."

Resigned to the fact her body needed time to recuperate, Kim decided to ask questions instead of trying to bolt. "What happened, mom?" she asked, looking at Ron at the same time. "The last thing I remember is ricocheting inside an old plane in the middle of a hurricane after wading the Amazon swamps."

The older redhead sighed. "Apparently Ron managed to drag the both of you to our doorstep, where you collapsed. I wasn't about to let you in along with the ton of mud you had on your clothes and they were already dirty and torn beyond salvation. Some scissoring later, I carried you on the couch together because you were holding each other way too tightly and waking you up was out of the question at that point."

Kim blushed at that and Ron's sheepish glance did not exactly help, especially when she felt the combination of their proximity and his waking up pressing on her belly. A moment later, her eyes went wide. "Daddy can't see us like this!" she exclaimed and tried once more- ineffectually- to rise.

"Amp down, KP" provided Ron lazily, running the back of his palm along the outer side of her bare leg after making sure her mother was not looking and causing her goosebumps of delight. "Mr. Dr P. helped your mother to lift us. She could never handle both of us together."

Kim eyed her mother questioningly. Anne nodded. "Doctor's orders, dear. Your father was drafted to help and had to leave early for the space center. Some kind of emergency. You are to rest well, eat well and rest some more" she declared in a tone none of them could think of disobeying. A smirk graced her face a moment later. "You might want to take a shower first, though. You both need it and brown hair looks weird on you Kimmie."

Her daughter blinked blankly at that, then turned to regard Ron again. This time she noticed his hair was full of dried brown mud. Her face contracted in horror as she remembered the many times both of them had plunged into the mud and she brought a hand to gingerly touch her hair. The brief contact made her wince and retreat the appendage as if it was burning.

"I'm looking hideous, aren't I?" she hesitantly asked Ron.

He blinked and made a great show looking her up and down. "KP, you look good enough" he started. "…to eat" he added under his breath, causing her to blush again and smack him feebly on the arm.

"I appreciate the boyfriend response, Ron, but you can give me the best friend opinion now" she responded bleakly.

Ron repeated his former inspection. "Be sure not to clog the pipes with mud, KP" he admonished at length and Kim gulped.

"Worse than I feared" she whispered to herself.

A second later both Anne and Ron blinked in disbelief as the recently graduated redhead leaped to her feet and vanished upstairs.

"Isn't she supposed to be unable to move?" inquired Ron as he rose and stretched while yawning.

"It's a hair thing" provided Drs Possible, her eyes going wide a second later when she eyed Ron. "And for the record, aren't you supposed to be in even more pain than she is?" she added critically.

He responded with a sheepish laugh. "I think it's a mystic power thing" he explained and Anne nodded.

"I'm not going to comment on that, Ron. Go and take a shower in the second bathroom before the scientist in me decides to dissect you for humanity's benefit", she joked, giggling as he vanished just as fast before she could finish her sentence.

- - -

Dr Wade Load sat on his worn but very comfortable chair with a satisfied sigh, his milk and cereals on a tray next to him. His mother might be tolerant when it came to going outside, but she drew the line on healthy nutrition. Yawning lazily, he logged in his system and performed his daily check-up. He decided to forward the few not very important mission requests to Global Justice and give the rest of the team some down time.

The thirteen-year-old genius raised a brow as an incoming stream video connection requested his admission. He was even more surprised when James Possible appeared on the screen.

"_Dr. Load_", he acknowledged him with sincere respect.

"Dr. Possible", he responded, growing a bit worried. "Is Kim and Ron alright? Their last mission was… eventful."

James smiled. "_No worries. They'll be out of it for a while but nothing too serious, although I'd really like to hear about that mission. No, the reason I contacted you is because the space center has need of your considerable talents for a matter of great importance. You also have access to… different sources than we do_" he continued, a bit embarrassed at the last sentence.

Wade smirked knowingly. "Which system do you need to hack into, Dr. Possible?" he asked bluntly.

The other scientist fidgeted a bit. "_A secret Chinese telescope satellite, code name MQEC-44. It's the only one currently in position and we'd have to wait twelve hours for an alternative. I understand the encryption is heavy and…_"

"I'm in!" declared Wade, causing him to gawk for a full second before composing himself. "I'm passing you the controls through my network."

Dr. Possible typed for a while and Wade could see many more space center associates gathered behind him. He wasn't ready for the horrified visage on Kim's father's face.

"What's wrong?" he asked tentatively. A minute later he decided it would have been better not to know. "I'm coming there personally" he announced, doctoring his face to hide the fear that spiked in his mind. Said normally overwhelming fear of outdoors currently seemed very nonsensical.

- - -

Drs Possible couldn't help but smile at the two youths and one naked mole rat that were busy eating her pancakes as if they were going out of style. It was nothing new for Ron and Rufus, but seeing Kim joining in with abandon spoke volumes of last day's trials. Little by little, she managed to drag the story out of them. Five years ago, she had promised herself she would never try to stop her daughter from going on a mission. While it was too late to change her mind, she couldn't help but feel uneasy when she learned how close both of them had come to vaporization. She decided that the following events were far more amusing, especially since she hadn't had to endure the mud.

"There is a lesson about pride and modesty there, dear", she chided as she heard their encounter with agent Du. She noted with interest Ron would crack up whenever her daughter mentioned GJ's departure and decided he would ask him later about the full story.

Kim scowled at that. "The only real lesson here is about Global Justice's credibility. I've fought next to Dr. Director and I have seen their impressive resources, but any organization that allows someone like Will Du to go on the field as their best can't be all that!"

Ron nodded his affirmation. "It's a mystery alright, keeping Dr. Betty behind a desk and having him as the top dog. I mean, what are they thinking?"

"Uh-huh, mystery!" chirped the mole rat in accord.

Anne sighed, having a credible theory but hesitating to mention it. "Perhaps it's a politics thing" she proposed reluctantly. She sighed again at the blank stares. "I have seen it happening in and out of the hospital. Sometimes those best connected get better positions than those that are better at what they do."

Kim quirked a brow. "But GJ is a reasonably secret organization. The world might know its name in passing, but have no idea about the true extend of their capabilities."

The doctor shook her head dismissively. "Being a secret organization means Global Justice is immune to most of public criticism. If only few know the chain of command, there is more space for favoritism."

"Hink! Bad road!" responded Rufus causing her to gawk for a second. Even after so many years she was still puzzled by the mole rat's intellect.

Ron scratched his head in contemplation. "That would explain many things" he decided at length.

His girlfriend seemed less convinced. "I won't believe it until I see proof. Global Justice has too much responsibility. It would be horrible for Dr. Director to have to deal with... 'food chains'."

The blonde finished his third helping and yawned. "Anyway, what do you want to do today, KP? I hope you haven't any extreme sports planned."

Kim gave him an amused glance. "You look chipper enough for that, mystic boy", she replied with a little bit of envy. "Don't think I haven't noticed," she added stretching and wincing a bit. "I was thinking of 'dropping' by GJ headquarters. We need to give our official report and I have a few choice words about their information policies."

"Now, make sure to take it easy for today" advised Anne. "No freak fighting unless it's the end of the world-again", she added half seriously.

"Will do, Mrs. Dr. P", nodded Ron.

"Yep, yep!"

"We'll be fine mom."

As soon as they left, Ron turned to Kim. "My 'rents and Hannah are abroad, but I want to see if they've left a message. We can use the tube close to my house afterwards."

The redhead shrugged. "No big. I need to walk a bit and chase the soreness off my legs, anyway."

- - -

Half an hour later they left Ron's house, both sporting their mission clothes and wide smiles. "The little one sure recorded a performance for you, Ron" snickered Kim.

Ron wiped an errant tear from his left eye. "She grows on people, doesn't she?" he responded dreamily, causing his girlfriend to smirk.

"It took her some time to lose the 'intruder' status though", she teased as she activated her kimmunicator watch.

The blonde groaned at that. "The Rondo knows not what you mean, KP" he groused, his smile returning as Kim gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"You there, Wade?" she asked, frowning as the line took more time than usual to connect. Her eyes went wide when Wade's face appeared on the screen. "Either you have another hologram in place to mess with us, or you left your room!" she exclaimed, causing Ron to also snap his attention to the barely-teen genius.

Wade managed a small smile. "_It's the second guys. They needed my help at the space center_," he added anxiously, causing Kim to quirk a brow.

"Badical! We'll pass by later. We haven't seen you face to face since graduation."

Kim filed Wade's uneasiness for further reference, then remembered the reason she had called. "We are outside Ron's house, Wade. Can you open us a tube to GJ?"

He quickly nodded. "_Turn to your right, take five steps, then another four to your left. Whenever you are ready._"

"Please and thank you!" she responded just before the ground opened beneath them. Seconds later they entered the Global Justice headquarters, Kim landing smoothly and Ron stumbling a bit but managing to remain erect and fully clothed for once.

The guard on duty almost fainted from the shock but quickly recovered his wits. "Miss Possible!" he exclaimed, hesitating a bit afterwards. "…and Mr. Stuffable?" he asked gingerly, causing both youths to groan.

"It's Stoppable" sighed Ron in resignation as Kim's hand found and squeezed his own. "You get props for the effort, though" he added, smiling weakly.

His red-haired girlfriend was not amused. "We are here to see Dr. Director", she stated, her voice sporting an edge that made the guard gulp.

"My shift is almost over", he replied frantically, anxious to make amends. "I can get you there myself in a jiffy."

"Lead the way", she returned, steel still in her voice.

"Lay off him, KP. He's about to wet his pants", whispered Ron, glancing at the guard who was now almost shaking.

Kim griped his hand tighter. "I take being your girlfriend very seriously, Ronnie", she replied affectionately. "It's high time you started getting the respect you deserve."

They soon reached the only wooden door in the complex, which promptly opened to accept them. "Kimberly, Ronald. Please come in", came the familiar voice from inside. The cozy-looking office seemed quite out of place in the otherwise technically advanced base, black leather, redwood and glass its main materials. As any respectable busy workspace, it was moderately cluttered with papers, folders and various other odds and ends. Kim and Ron sat down and returned Dr. Director's smile.

"We came to discuss yesterday's mission", started Kim, her face growing sober.

Betty Director's smile failed to wane. "Since Dr. Load passed us the mission data, you don't have to actually write a report, but I would hear your input. For the record, the fact that the AEGIS project did not fall into the wrong hands is considered a half-success. Recovering it would be nice, but under the circumstances I understand it was impossible."

Kim frowned. "I have to disagree with that, Dr. Director. I'm still puzzled about how agent Du managed to land next to the action before it could start but only showed up after everything was over. His overall attitude was quite impolite, too."

Betty sighed. "I would like to apologize for both of these points, as well as for the fact he failed to offer you a ride. I understand you had difficulty returning to Middleton."

"That would be an understatement, Dr. Betty" chirped Ron casually, causing the director to smile. She had always liked Ron's nonchalant attitude and still had trouble believing he had stopped an alien invasion single-handedly a week before. "We barely made it back."

Kim shook her head. "Dr. Director, we have been working as freelance agents for GJ for some time. We volunteer for the job, we can choose not to accept it and we expect nothing in return. Lack of back up and transportation are things that can happen. So not the drama. Where I draw the line is at the lack of vital information. We went in practically blind. We had no way to coordinate with your men and even Shego knew much more about project AEGIS than us. Wade had to conduct real time research on the fly and we lost precious minutes trying to break the shield containing Shego and the device. He might rock, but he is not omnipotent. We understand that some things are confidential, but in this case we ferociously needed to know."

Both Kim and Ron blinked at how ashamed the head of global Justice looked. After she made sure to school her features back to what was now the ghost of a smile, she sighed. "Everything you said has been true, Kimberly. I wish I could have coordinated that mission myself, but I had had my hands full overseeing five other missions. Perhaps leaving agent Du in charge was not the correct decision."

Dr. Elizabeth Director had to resist shrinking away when her two most effective associates and an intelligent naked mole rat eyeballed her with a three-way 'duh' stare.

"Anyway, we are sure next time we will have better intel", provided Kim, prompting Betty to almost sigh in relief.

A genuine smile graced the one-eyed woman's face once more. "Before you leave, I have an offer to make to team Possible. Right now, you are unofficially my most effective external agents. However, now that you have graduated and are both 18, I am running out of excuses to retain your unofficial status. The UN council from where we get most of our funding is quite impressed by your results. I want more than anything to actually draft you into GJ, but I understand if you are reluctant. The other alternative is to keep you as official freelance agents. The only difference to your current status will be that you'll actually get paid after every successful mission."

Kim quirked a brow at that. "As I said before, we've never asked for a reward", she started, but Betty's voice interrupted her.

"Please, Kimberly. Imagine what would happen to GJ if it got out team Possible, that has saved the world many times when we could not, has never been properly rewarded. The general public will demand our head on a silver platter", she joked. "As things stand, we will probably reward you for every mission you have done for us retroactively."

Kim and Ron looked at each other without exchanging words but Dr. Director knew they could communicate silently. Finally Ron spoke, startling her. "Hold that thought, Dr. Betty. We'll need to talk about that, but chances are we'll take the second option. We'll probably tell you next time you beep us."

They all rose to their feet and Betty shook both of their hands. "Kimberly, Ronald, I'll look forward to our next meeting", she declared.

All three of their heads almost hit the ceiling as Dr. Director's flat screen came to life. "_Dr. Director, we have an emergency; Code Red. Please come to the operations center immediately." _

Kim and Ron needed no invitation and Betty didn't bother to offer one either. They sprinted through the corridors, taking a shortcut through the medical ward and reaching the operations center in record time. The many screens were filled with what appeared to be telescope images. Half of them showed a collection of floating rocks and dust while the other half kept track of a very bright celestial object that would slowly change colors, passing through the whole light spectrum.

"Report!" commanded Betty, her game face on. "The abbreviated version first."

One of the older scientists decided to respond, trying and barely succeeding to retain his composure. "As you know, the abnormal reaction observed during the AEGIS project mission caused a very intense beam of energy to extend towards the outer atmospheric layers. It appears the beam reached plant Mars after some seconds and by sheer chance hit it in its middle, actually shattering it. What's worse, the remaining energy was amassed around one of the planet's shards, forming an unidentified energy signature. That shard is in direct collision course with earth and has an 80 percent chance of actually hitting us."

To her credit, Dr. Director remained calm. "How much time do we have until collision and what are the estimated effects?"

The scientist bit his lip nervously. "We have one day and two hours, plus-minus one hour and counting. As for the effects…"

Betty's glare did well to dispel his hesitation. "The truth, Dr. Hugo. As you said, we have no time", she demanded.

"The shard is a rough sphere with an average radius of 500 kilometers and weights a roughly estimated 1.5 quadrillion metric tons. Without accounting for the unknown energy it carries and with its current speed, it can smash cleanly through the Earth, should it hit. The estimated human survival rate is 0.0003 percent, and that's only in our special airtight nuclear vaults."

What seemed like an eternity of silence followed that statement. At long last, Betty Director took a deep breath. "I want all our facilities on red alert. Make sure to run interference with the media. Make them focus on the fact Mars is destroyed and mention nothing about the incoming shard. Discretely alert all governments and any expert that might be able to offer a solution. Suspend all of our internal research and funnel all efforts in stopping this rock", she barked rather than ordering.

Turning around, she allowed her face to soften and show a bit of emotion. Kim, that had remained frozen the whole time, managed to form a sentence. "What... what are we supposed to do, Dr. Director?" she asked hesitantly.

Betty sighed, shaking her head. "There is nothing more you or I can do about this mess, Kimberly. We can only hope that those with the knowledge can see us through."

- - -

As the couple slowly and quietly walked towards the space center, choosing to leave the Sloth behind, Ron could swear Kim was walking crooked enough to carry the incoming threat's weight. Said threat had been expressly named 'Lakhesis', after one of the ancient Fates, proving conclusively that there was still enough morbid humor around to make the world spin.

"Kim", he tried, frowning when the redhead in question proved to be too lost in thought to respond. "KP!" he demanded, gaining what sounded like an affirmative murmur for his trouble. "You need to snap out of this funk of yours."

"Of course, Ron", she responded passively, clearly not paying attention.

"Aw man…", he exclaimed snapping a hand on his forehead. "KP, a giant diablo robot is about to stomp us to death", he tried.

"Tell them to call next week…"

"Bonnie, Tara, Penny, Monique, Yori and Zita have invited me to a game of strip poker. Is it ok if I go alone?"

"Sure, have fun Ron…"

"Hink! Oh boy!" commented Rufus, while Kim remained self-absorbed.

Ron bit his lip, deciding it was time to use the big guns. "Kim! Your father and DNAmy are making out in our treehouse! Wade went on a three-year-long tour around the world! Shego is the new Mother Teresa! You cousin Joss and Sr. Senior Senior got married in Las Vegas! Cheese has been declared illegal all around the world!" he shouted, gasping at his lack of breath at the end.

"You can take care of it if you want…"

"Your hair is on fire!"

That had an effect, however miniscule. Kim responded by nodding and patting her hair but never stopped walking. Ron sighed, deciding there was only one other way left. He drew a large breath, then rushed his girlfriend, performing a very basic heel swipe. At the last possible moment, Kim sensed the attack, her body reacting by instinct and leaping away, counterattacking with a high roundhouse kick. Ron ducked and attempted a fast rabbit punch to her belly, which was promptly blocked. She responded with an artful reverse eagle kick that caused her to flip and land on her hands. Ron effectively dodged to the side, deciding to let the next attack hit him. Said attack was an upside-down split kick Kim performed while still on handstand. It hit him just below his neck, launching him in the air and would have let him unconscious if he hadn't rolled with it. As it was, he was stopped when his back hit a high fence and remained very still, regarding his girlfriend.

Kim blinked in confusion for a second, then her eyes went wide. "Ron!" she demanded, equally furious and concerned. "What were you thinking! For a second I thought I was fighting Shego. Are you okay?" she asked frantically.

"I am now that I have snapped you out of your little self-inflicted funk nation", he added proudly.

"Good", she responded, approaching and grabbing him from his shirt, almost lifting him off his feet. "Now, what was that about a strip poker game?" she demanded glaring.

The only way Ron could look more innocent would be with a floating halo. "Is that the only thing you heard me say?" he inquired.

Kim blinked again. "Something about my dad and DNAmy and…Eww… and Joss… double eww, gross and wrongsick. You just rotted my mind's eye, Ron", she complained.

"And you were immune to the cheese bannage?" he asked incredulously, laughing when she gave him a hairy eyeball.

"That would only shock you, Ron" she returned in her tweaked tone, but he noticed her features soon softened into sadness.

Her boyfriend wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her close. Instead of complaining, she snaked her own arms around him, reveling in the contact. "Talk about it?" he asked quietly and she nodded weakly, not daring to face him.

"I screwed up", she answered after a while. "I screwed up during the last mission and now everybody is in trouble."

"You weren't there alone, you know", he responded soberly, but she shook her head.

"That's the point! We are a team, Ron, but you always let me give the orders. My essential Kimness isn't helping things either, always wanting me to play leader", she added, laughing bitterly. Instead of responding, Ron simply massaged her back, easing some of the many stress knots present. She couldn't help but hiss in delight. "Part of being a leader is to take responsibility when things go south, Ron. It doesn't go much souther than 99.9997 percent estimated death rate on a global scale", she added bitterly.

Ron frowned. "Oh, come on! Drakken, Dementor and GJ are far more responsible for this mess and you know it. I don't know what it will take to break you out of **this** pity fiesta, but..."

Kim interrupted him with her lips, kissing him gently and sensually. Ron wasn't sure if it was a minute or an hour later when she drew back and honestly didn't give a stale nacho about it. "I'm definitely keeping you around", she cooed breathlessly, at last smiling in earnest. She grabbed his hand firmly and dragged him along at a faster pace.

"KP, about what you said earlier...", he tried, not yet comfortable with dropping the subject.

She shook her head in response. "This is neither the time nor the place. We will hurry to the space center, see if we can help in any way", she stated, some of her normal resolve returning.

"That's the spirit, Kimila. Race you!" he declared, running fast enough to remind Kim why he played rugby during their senior year.

"Hey, no fair, I'm still beat!", she complained, running after him anyway.

- - -

"Dr. Possible, we found the spare parts we needed. As soon as we weld them together we can start injecting the fuel."

"Very well, Brian. We will be using my new prototype RG-5000 fuel. It is still only half-way tested but it needs far less liquid oxygen to ignite than the others. Dr. Load, is the flight model ready?"

"I have the equations ready, but until you can give me the exact time of possible impact, I can only work with bracket values."

"Very well. Dr. Xandra, contact Chen and tell him we needed the exact times half an hour ago. I'll go once more through the plans…"

The great chamber was teeming with motion, resembling an anthill both in activity and in shape. In its center, under a giant hole, stood a fairly large rocket still under construction. As soon as Kim and Ron entered, they privately decided the scene gave a new twist in the expression 'ordered chaos'.

"Hi Kimmie-cub, Ronald. You look dandy. Sorry no time!" greeted James Possible, passing right next to them in a hurry. He stopped cold when a female in a lab coat stepped in his way. "Everything okay, Dr. Xandra?" he asked anxiously.

The researcher was probably half his age, by her looks just out of university. Her scowl was as fierce as they came though. "Chen said he will have what we need in ten minutes. As for you, Dr. Possible, it's high time you took a break."

"But I…", he tried weakly.

She didn't let him finish. "Ever since this morning you have been buzzing around like a hornet on jet fumes, Doctor. You will again be needed in half an hour so take the opportunity to unwind and collect your thoughts. Perhaps show them around. It wouldn't do if you were to collapse on us", she chided and he nodded resigned.

"It seems you two are in for a special tour", he announced to Kim and Ron, trying to lighten the mood. "This is our new prototype rocket, the 'Plank Thorn IV'", he added proudly. "I actually found the name in a fanfic by some Dragontamer-Larry", he finished whispering.

They both smiled knowingly at each other. "So, what is the plan Mr. Dr. P.?" inquired Ron, looking around intently. "Will you be sending a crew to set explosive charges like in the movies?"

The good doctor shook his head. "No Roland, we don't have the time for such subtlety. Plus, we still can't figure out what the energy cocoon around Lakhesis is. It could very well be lethal to humans. No, this baby is nothing more than a glorified missile. There are only two things special. The fact that we recheck the plans, specify the flight and assemble it at the same time and the special AM-warhead it will deliver."

"AM-warhead?" asked his daughter, suddenly very distraught.

He failed to notice the change. "AM as in Antimatter-Matter warhead. In theory, an antimatter reaction turns both matter and antimatter into pure energy. In practice, most of this energy reforms into particles that have no effect on actual matter. We have found a way to drop that reform rate by 40 percent."

Kim's eye twitched. "Dad, you never told us the space center conducts military research of that kind!"

Dr. Possible seemed uncomfortable. "The AM warhead was initial intended to fight the mysterious and notorious pickle jar phenomenon", he replied defensively.

"Pickle jar phenomenon?" repeated Ron incredulously.

James nodded. "It is fairly rare, but when it appears... Boy, do you **know** it's there! Many good scientists have lost their sanity trying to open invulnerable pickle jars, only to fail spectacularly. When they give up and lose hope, the jar usually becomes normal again. We have even erected a monument in the memory of those lost", he finished wiping a tear from his eyes.

"R-iight", countered Kim, hardly convinced.

Ron decided he had to talk fast for everybody's benefit. "What Kim is afraid of is that someone may steal the technology and use it… unethically."

Dr. Possible shook his head. "I doubt that, Ronald. This kind of missile would never be used close to earth."

"Needs vacuum to work?" hazarded his daughter.

"No, Kimmie-cub. If it's used anywhere close to earth, nothing will be left behind", he explained.

They both blinked owlishly, turning to their side just in time to see the warhead in question being nested inside the rocket's tip. "Nothing?" she repeated incredulously.

James nodded gravely. "We do go a bit overboard, but there is no room for mistakes here. This rocket is a literal planet-killer. When it reaches Lakhesis it will only leave fine dust behind."

Before he could add anything else, Dr. Xandra came to him running. "Dr. Possible, the Russians launched a fusion rocket towards Lakhesis. It will reach it any second now."

He swore in response. "They could at least warn us! Best case scenario, their bomb will alter its course so that it will miss us. Worst case scenario, it will split it in half and we'll have to deal with two separate pieces."

"Lakhesis on screen. Collision in five, four, three, two, one, zero!" announced another scientist. The explosion that followed caused all systems to reboot due to sensor overload.

"What happened out there", demanded Wade from his station at the other end of the room. "Somebody send me the spectrometer data!" Some frantic typing later, he leaped from his seat and dashed towards the three. With only a half-glance of acknowledgement to Kim and Ron, he practically shoved a piece of paper under Dr. Possible's nose. "The explosion was 50 times stronger than it should have been", he gasped, trying to regain his breath.

James' eyes went wide. "Did they use some new kind of technology?" he pondered.

Wade shook his head. "Their warhead was powerful but of pretty standard design. My theory is the field of energy around Lakhesis acted like a catalyst and magnified the explosion."

The older scientist scratched his head. "One way or another, I don't believe there will be anything bigger than a pebble left behind", he said, sounding amused.

Another scientist's voice interrupted what would have been the beginning of a celebration. "Sensors back online", he stated, then stopped. Ron could swear he could hear him gulp. "The Russian missile had no visible effect in Lakhesis in either course or mass. No effect whatsoever…"

- - -

End of the second chapter and I'm on a roll. I want to thank everybody reading and especially the ones that review. You guys really know to provide incentives. I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite the relative lack of excitement. In next chapter, things go even worse, believe it or not, as the earth gains some time but loses survival percentage.


	3. Frantically Fighting Failure

**Chapter 3: Frantically Fighting Failure**

- - -

Everybody inside the space center's lab had their eyes glued on the giant main screen even though there was nothing new to be seen. The understandable scientific awe was mostly outshone by the lingering and gut-crashing feeling of helplessness.

During the last 24 hours, the Middleton space center personnel had been watching with apt interest various attempt from all around the world. China had launched a missile containing a prototype neutron spike that was supposed to shatter Lakhesis. The European Union had opted to use ten smaller rockets that would be placed around the Martian meteor and extend an energy net in an attempt to deflect it. Japan had used a shuttle, which would attach itself on Lakhesis and use its thruster to alter its trajectory. Professor Dementor had surprised everyone by sending a rocket that unfolded into a deathray cannon and managed to shoot a total of ten times before its hastily assembled circuits fizzled.

At exactly T minus ten hours, Dr. Possible and his crew had launched Plank Thorn IV, the Antimatter warhead reaching the target one hour before collision and exploding in a radiant display of force and light that managed to overwhelm and hide the sun's glow for a full minute.

Now, after the sensors had had a chance to reboot and recover from overload, they revealed the source of everybody's dread. The attempt, however spectacular, had failed as much as the rest. Lakhesis had proven to be immune to anything earth's best minds could throw at such a short notice.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, everybody started talking at once. However, their murmurs were not exclusively scientific in nature but rather prayers, whispers of denial and shouts of outrage. Ron snapped back into reality and realized Kim was not next to him anymore. Moving his arms and legs that seemed numb and heavy, he passed through the chamber's gates and entered the adjacent corridor. There, on a tacky blue couch framed by potted plants she rested, although he initially had problems recognizing her.

The usually energetic redhead was sitting slumped at the end of her seat, her arms hugging her lithe body, her frame shuddering, her face ashen pale. Not sure how to deal with a panicked Kim, he slowly proceeded and sat next to her. When she failed to acknowledge his presence, he hesitantly extended his arm and cupped her shoulder. As soon as his hand made contact, she leaped like a jack from the box, landing on his lap and clasping him in a painful death grip, one of her small but powerful hands grasping his shirt like a lifeline. Burying her face in his shoulder, she started sobbing silently, biting her lip to the point it bled.

"KP…", he tried, his voice raw after what seemed like hours of silence. Not knowing how to continue, he simply caressed her back.

Kim found herself grateful, perhaps more grateful than the last time he had saved her life during a mission. Settling down a bit, she turned her head to the side, content to remain seated on his thighs and keep his face into her peripheral vision.

"I don't want to die like this", she breathed, her voice devoid of its usual bravado. "I always knew there was a chance one or both of us would die during a mission", she went on. "I had accepted that risk. If I were to die, it would at least happen during what I do best; it would have had a meaning." She paused for a while shaking her head, although Ron was not sure if it was to clean her thoughts or to embrace denial. "But getting killed by a dumb alien rock is so… pointless. It… it might sound selfish, but I…"

Ron interrupted her by lowering his head on her own shoulder and taking a sniff of her hair. She managed a smile while he sighed contently. "Wade told me our chances to miss it became better, you know. Right now it's fifty-fifty. With the Ron and his factor in the house, no pebble will off my lady", he joked.

Rufus popped out of his pocket adding a "Yep, yep no problem" as if on cue, patting Kim's leg then retreating.

"Always a silver lining, baby", she responded huskily, her mood changing for the better. She wiped the tears off her eyes and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "I don't dare to think where I'd be without you", she whispered meekly.

"You'd still be a sun among stars", he shot back teasingly.

She sighed introspectively. "So not. More like a falling star. I wouldn't last a second." She remained silent for a while, her small smile widening then changing into a pout. "You know, Ronnie, we still have enough time to find some private place and have a very very private party. No need to dress up, either. We'll be losing our clothes fast-like", she cooed seductively, making sure to rub against her boyfriend.

Ron gulped then licked his lips, feeling quite overwhelmed. "Are you trying to take advantage of me, Kimila?" he teased and she stuck her tongue out.

"At least we wouldn't die virgins", she riposted, cuddling against him tightly and reveling in his touch. They remained like that for a long time. "Thanks" she added at length, looking directly into his eyes.

"For cheering you up?" he asked in genuine curiosity.

"For snapping me out of panic. I have accepted there is a great possibility we'll be hit and there is nothing we can do, so no need to sweat over it."

Kim raised a brow when he briefly shuddered. "I think it's my time to freak out Kimbo", he noted, chuckling weakly. "Panic rising, breath deepening, eyes dilating, shock imminent…", he ranted and Kim was torn between laughing and trying to calm him down. They were interrupted when an alarm filled the space center's empty corridors.

"No time now, freak-out boy", she declared with her normal perkiness. "That was the two minutes warning and we have to get back", she added, dragging him along.

"Right!" he gasped, regaining a semblance of integrity and following.

- - -

Back in the launching chamber the only sound disrupting total silence was the soft humming of high-tech equipment. Everyone was inanimate like so many statues, glued in their places, their eyes on the main screen, their fingers crossed. Kim noticed how Dr. Xandra's clothes and lab coat was in disarray and she blushed, since she had a very good idea about the cause. When the female scientist turned and smiled weakly at one of the younger technicians, the redhead averted her eyes embarrassed.

"Thirty seconds", declared Wade, knifing through the silence. Everybody stiffened.

"Twenty seconds." Kim glanced towards her best friend-boyfriend, only now noticing how their hands were entwined.

"Ten seconds." Everyone except Wade instinctively left their seats, their hands clasping desk edges, rails or their own clothes.

"Five." Kim once more bit down at her lower lip.

"Four." Ron shuffled his feet.

"Three." Dr. Possible gulped audibly.

"Two." Everybody took a deep breath.

"One." Everybody held said deep breath.

When time is of essence, nobody can help but philosophize a bit. Too little or too much, when the seconds seem like years or the years like seconds nobody can help but ponder at how relative and intangible time really is.

"It missed us! It touched the outer layers of the atmosphere and missed us!"

For a total of two seconds everybody remained very still, as if any motion would dispel the good news. Then realization hit and everybody started talking at once, some cheering, others laughing maniacally or dancing or thanking their gods and ancestors. Kim, in an uncharacteristic display of affection while her father was present, tackled Ron to the ground and landing on him she started showering his face with kisses.

No one noticed Wade's tearful smile as it changed to a frown of disbelief, to a mask of fear. He hastily printed his screen's content's, grabbing the output and rushing towards James. The good doctor watched his daughter's display and for once failed to feel apprehensive. As soon as he saw the teen genius approaching, he attempted to arrest him in a friendly hug, which Wade dodged like a pro.

"Dr. Possible, there is still danger!" he exclaimed and it took James a whole five seconds to come down from the collective high. Blinking a bit, he studied Wade's results and nodded while frowning. Kim and Ron, being used to abrupt chances of mood, returned to their feet and rushed to the two doctors, game faces on.

"What's the sitch this time", demanded Kim, peering at the printer paper and futilely trying to understand the advanced writing.

James decided not to try to be heard above the ambient festival that was still in development around them. He indicated the door and the other three nodded in accord. As soon as they found themselves in a relatively quiet environment, in this case the same corridor Kim and Ron had found refuge before, he turned to his daughter.

"We were very lucky Lakhesis missed us. A couple clicks lower and we'd be done for. A good thing gravity does not effect it as much as normal matter. With its current trajectory, our Martian piece will spiral around the sun for five weeks, then plunge right in", he started.

Ron blinked at that. "But that's good, right? There is nothing it could do to a star… right?"

Wade sighed. "This energy around the meteor, this… shield is the problem. It absorbed each and every attack, it de-atomized anything getting close and nothing had an effect on it. In fact, only once did an unusual reaction happen."

"The Russian fusion bomb", exclaimed Kim. "You said it was much stronger than it should have been."

"50 times stronger", followed Ron, a hint of recognition in his voice. "And the sun is…"

Wade nodded. "The sun is nothing more than a slow-burning, self-sufficient fusion reaction."

Kim gulped. "The sun is enormous compared to Lakhesis. What could possibly happen?" she wondered in apprehension.

Her father shook his head. "If the energy around Lakhesis really acts like a catalyst, an insignificant amount could have a staggering effect. We still have research to do, but a chain reaction will be devastating."

The redhead's eyes narrowed. "Stop beating around the bush, please and thank you."

Wade glanced at her father then nodded in resignation. "Stars fall in two general categories. Small ones like our sun that have a life span of close to ten billion years in which they gradually cool down and die and those that are three and a half or more times heavier. The second kind usually lasts less than a billion years, then consumes all of its fuel at once, starts producing elements heavier than helium and explodes."

"It goes Nova", provided Ron, causing everybody's eyes to gather on his person. "What? I remember it from a Captain Constellation episode."

"Right on Ronald", cheered James, letting a bit of humor in his voice before turning grim again. "Sol is currently in the middle of its lifespan and normally too small to produce a Nova reaction. If Lakhesis reaches its core though, the reaction will be rapid, spectacular and merciless."

"The sun will explode?" gasped Kim in disbelief. The two scientists nodded, even though the notion felt too outlandish on their ears. She remained very still for a couple of seconds and Ron thought she'd be regressing back to depression, but then her eyes acquired a glint reserved for the most serious of missions.

"Kim, what..?" tried Wade but the redhead would have none of that.

"Wade, I know you'll be very busy here for the following weeks, but I need some fast favors. I want a line to Dr. Director's office, full access to your person database, both villains and those that own us favors and the theory behind Lakhesis' effects in the Kimmunicator", she requested levelly.

Not waiting for a response, she performed an about face and marched towards the exit. "What's the mission, KP?" inquired Ron, following right behind her

She managed the phantom of a smirk. "You know how many of the scientists we know, both the good and the evil ones, can be oblivious to the important stuff, such as the sun exploding." She held the Kimmunicator to his face, displaying a very long list. "We're going to find every last one of them and inform them of the sitch. Also I'll make sure GJ gives temporary amnesty to any supervillain that wants to help and needs to use other technological resources. One of them might have a solution. It's egghead open season, Ron!" she finished exited. "My second chance to do something," she added under her breath.

- - -

"And so, Shego, my new giant robot will be firing mental deliberation beams that will temporarily turn everyone around it into mindless zombies ready to be manipulated."

"Brilliant…yawn… If you use it in the congress, you won't even have to turn it on."

Dr. Drakken nodded happily. "Yes, yes, that's exactly the idea." When the ironic smirk on the green skinned woman's face failed to wane, he blinked in retrospection. "Wait, you were being sarcastic again, weren't you? Or was that a parable?"

Said master thief sighed, deciding to detach her eyes from her magazine. "Philological brutalizing aside, I can't help but notice that ever since your flower-ator or whatever that thing was called, you seem to be in creative limbo. Perhaps you should take a longer vacation to recharge those batteries."

"I have all the energy I would ever want!" he responded miffed, snorting when a vine erupted from his neck, extending and sprouting a single very large leaf from its tip. "And I didn't mean that literally", he snapped at his wayward appendage, causing it to recoil and shudder.

"See, KP? He's still in flora funk like I told you", came a voice from behind them, prompting the villainous duo to turn as one.

"Kim Possible!" came the usual incredulous and redundant cry, then Drakken blinked. "Aren't you a bit early, though? I haven't even had the power source acquired yet."

Kim raised a brow. "Not sure what you're talking about, but we didn't come here for a fight."

Shego frowned. "How cute, she's not here to fight. What will it be, Dr. D? Cookies and Cocoa-moo or should I open a can of whoop-ass on them anyway."

Drakken regarded the two visitors carefully. "Not to be inhospitable, but to what do we own the visit?"

"You are next on the List. It took us four days to reach 'L'", replied Ron, sighing while rubbing his weary, bloodshot eyes.

"'L' as in leader?" he asked hopefully.

"'L' as in Lipsky."

Kim didn't waste any more time, plugging the Kimmunicator into a convenient USB port and uploading the 'Lakhesis' data. Drakken balked at first due to her actions, but as soon as he realized what was on his screen, his skin color cascaded towards white.

"Is this true?" he asked meekly after a while. Kim nodded gravely. "We are doomed, doomed I say! Have to write my will. Oh wait, there will be no one to read it!" he raved, pacing back and forth relentlessly.

While Kim tried, awkwardly, to get him to settle down, Shego grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him aside. "Ok Stoppable. Since I'm not about to bother deciphering the technobabble involved, I want you to explain what the hell is going on and why you and Princess seem like you have passed through a medieval gauntlet. In small simple words. No need to strain your... that thing between your ears."

Ron appeared offended for a second, then smirked. "Big sphere go zap. Mars go boom. Rock misses earth. Rock will hit sun. Sun go boom too", he responded in a painfully fake, baritone voice.

Shego's eye twitched. "Very funny, sport. Now why don't you..." she started, igniting her Go glow on her free hand. That only lasted for a second though, the time it took for what he said to sink in. "Whoa, whoa, wait! What do you mean 'sun go boom'?" she asked incredulously, letting go of his arm.

He sighed, sobering up. "It means that if we don't stop the thing, the sun will go nova within days after the collision. Not sure how that works, but it has to do with that explosion in Brazil last week."

The green-clad woman blinked. "If that happens..."

"Yep, zero survivors. Earth will be snuffed like a candle in a typhoon. Kim and I have been running around the globe for the past four days, only sleeping during transit. Since Global Justice has been hiding the threat to avoid riots and panic, we want to make sure everybody that can help knows the score."

Shego sighed, rubbing her temples and glancing at the still wailing Drakken with disdain. "Why are you here then. Even if Dr. D. agrees to help, we are still both wanted, despite the UN nonsense two weeks ago."

The blonde smirked. "Actually, Kim talked to Dr. Director about that. Everybody willing to help and their associates are granted temporary amnesty as long as they behave and until the crisis is over, one way or another", he explained delivering the last line with a sigh.

She raised a brow. "Kimmie thought everything, didn't she? Knowing the doc, he will jump at any chance if it means saving his skin."

"Shego!" came the blue-skinned scientist's voice as on cue. "Pack lightly. We're going to Middleton to help. I'll be needing the space center's resources if I am to take action."

Said mercenary responded a bit too eagerly, eyes glinting. "Of course Dr. D. I'll make haste. Wouldn't dream of keeping you **from saving the world. Again!" **The last few words were delivered entirely too loudly.

Drakken snorted. "Of course not!" he exclaimed indignant. "I'm just interested in the peculiar shield around the meteor."

"Dude, that doesn't change the fact you will **save the world** if you succeed", observed Ron.

"No, no, don't say it like that! I'm in for the challenge. The challenge!" he tried, quite a bit desperate. "And what's with the blatant and unnecessary outdoors voice?"

Ron smiled. "Hey, this is fun. No wonder you do it all the time", he beamed at Shego. "The challenge of **saving the world**, of course! I know the feeling, I can tell you **all about it**", he added, turning to Drakken once more.

"La-la-la-la, I can't hear you!" returned the not-so-good doctor, keeping his ears covered.

Kim groaned while Shego snickered in amusement. "Stop playing with the villains, Ron. Even with the Sloth, we still have half of the list left", stated the redhead flatly, grabbing her partner's wrist and dragging him away.

"La-la-la-la..."

"They are gone, you can stop now you know", tried Shego after a while.

"La-la-la-la-la-la..."

"Yo! Talking here!"

"La-la-la..."

Shaking her head, she prepared to reintroduce her employer to the meaning of 'ouch' when a better idea dawned in her mind. Smiling mischievously, she walked behind him and pinched his derriere with enough force to make him squeak in pain.

"**Shego!"**

- - -

"Thank you for both the ride and the news, Miss Possible, however grim they might be. Thanks to you, I will start helping in the Middleton space center a day earlier than I thought."

"No big, Professor Zyzian. Anything to make sure the sun is saved."

The elderly scientist nodded, her visage becoming amused as she exited the Sloth. "After this crisis is over, I would very much like to meet the ones that tricked out your car. I find their work intriguing."

Ron nodded. "Will do, Prof. As long as they are not at school."

As soon as the scientist walked away, Kim let out a huge sigh and slumped back in her seat. "It's your turn to drive Ron. I'm completely drained", she stated yawning.

Her partner shook his head. "Don't think so, Kimbo. We are done."

"What do you mean done?" she asked, sounding tweaked.

Ron sighed. "Done as in mission is over. Zyzian was, obviously, the last one in the List."

Kim blinked. "Are you sure? It's too soon."

"One week hopping around the world without stopping at all is not exactly 'too soon' in my book", he retorted, raising a brow.

She refused to concede. "There must be someone else. Perhaps Wade has another list or perhaps we forgot someone."

He shook his head. "Come on KP. We even asked Frugal Lucre's help, for all the good his cheap computer skills will do us. Francis' mother's cookies were worth it, though", he added as an afterthought. "My point is, we did what we could. Everybody that can help does so. We have four weeks. They'll find a way."

Kim left the car, walking and reaching one of the space center ground's trees. She sat on the bench below it with a huff. "Should I try to take an aeronautics Ph.D. within the month?" she contemplated after a while, not really talking to Ron.

He regarded her incredulously, hoping to see she was joking. When he concluded she was serious, he decided that whacking his head on the tree trunk looked like a good idea.

The redhead threw him a withering glance. "I could do it", she tried, sounding decisively unconvinced. He shook his head as he sat next to her and she sighed again. The stress and fatigue overtook her and she leaned on him dejected. "I should be able to do anything…" He responded by hugging her affectionately.

For the first time in the week, Kim felt content. The physical contact between them seemed to dispel her doubts and diminish her worries and she found herself lost in her best friend's embrace. She felt hope and happiness and a desire to rest.

She felt that she did not deserve to feel like that when she was, in her own eyes useless.

Kim stiffened and pulled away from Ron, frowning severely. "No time for that. We should be doing something, anything!" she declared frantically.

He tried to sooth her. "We are both exhausted and stressed. If you keep this up, you'll only torture yourself."

"I don't care! There must be something we missed, some other way to help. This is so a repeat of last week", she shouted. "It feels like the movie after the preview. Like last week, we are to sit on our butts and wait for others or luck to save us. Only this time luck won't help us. Lakhesis won't miss this time.

"KP…"

"No, listen to me! I can't stand a month of waiting. I'll go crazy in a month. I can't accept that, I just can't."

"Kim…"

"We must think of something, figure out a way. Whatever the cost."

"Kimila…" he tried yet again, his hand running along her shoulders.

She once again felt the effect he had on her, the sweet, serene feeling she wanted to give into completely. The call of her blissful, secret place. A moan threatened to leave her lips.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped harshly, recoiling away from his reach. She almost choked at his hurt expression.

"Damn it, Kim", he swore disheartened. He was as tired as she was and his patience was shorter than usual.

"I…I need to be alone for a while Ron", she more whispered than said, not daring to meet his eyes.

He opened his mouth then snapped it shut, changing his mind. "Fine!" he shouted. "See you tomorrow. Perhaps a full night's sleep will put things into perspective", he added only a tad more gently, stomping away afterwards. He stopped when he heard her almost silent sobs from behind him. He wanted to turn around and console her but he hesitated. "Coward…" he muttered, disgusted with himself before walking away.

Kim tried to hold her sobs but almost stopped when she realized he wasn't walking away anymore. She wanted to run to him now and say how sorry she was, but something held her back. The guilt was heavy, but she felt she deserved it as a form of self-punishment. She sighed and sniffled some more when he resumed walking. "You are a damn nutcase, Possible", she chided herself. "You'll make some shrink rich some day…"

- - -

Shego yawned, wondering once more what exactly she was doing here. She had followed Drakken three days earlier as they moved into their old Middleton lair and her employer had been spending most of his time working in the space center. At first she had tried to help him, but she could only stand being around a crowd of borderline lunatic scientists for only that long. Currently, she was chilling on a bench under another tree, enjoying her ice coffee.

The green-skinned beauty was surprised when Ron slumped down heavily a seat over, nursing a tin of cold Cocoa-moo. "And you are here why?" she inquired, secretly eager to talk to somebody.

She expected him to either cower away or give a sheepish response and she was surprised when his eyes narrowed. "It's a public place and your name is not on my seat", he spat.

Her right brow arced upwards all the way. "O-kay. Trouble in paradise, **sidekick**?" she teased.

His smirk was unkind. "Last time I checked, paradise was not supposed to expire after a month, **henchperson.**"

Shego regarded him intrigued. "Hissy fits don't look good on you, Stoppable. What did princess do this time?"

He frowned at that. "How do you know it's about Kim?" he asked.

She had to snicker. "Forgot who you're talking to, slick? I know more about you than you'd think. If it weren't about Kimmie, you would be with her trying to solve it. Not to mention that only she can affect you that much", she explained.

Ron sighed. "No big, she is just suffering from 'I-can't-sit-on-my-ass-and-do-nothing-to-help' syndrome. She'll come to her senses in no time."

Shego smirked. "Oh, I know that kind of thing firsthand. Harsh, especially when you feel guilty and push everybody away."

"You know it how?" he inquired suspiciously.

"Hello! Former superhero here. Did you forget, Stoppable? I'm hurt", she returned mockingly.

"Oh yeah, that. Why did you quit that, anyway?" he asked earnestly.

The green-clad thief eyed him incredulously. "You have met my brothers", she reminded him.

He smiled, his quarrel his Kim temporarily forgotten. "If that was the reason, you would have gone solo not evil. It would take more than that, so spill."

"I'm sure Hego told you everything."

"He said the more you fought evil, the more you liked it. I say I'm not buying."

Her smirk became feral. "You call my brother a liar, Stoppable? I'm shocked."

He smirked right back. "Hego might not be a liar, but he is an idiot. No offense."

Shego laughed out loud, the first time Ron had seen her do so. "Offense? Stoppable, I'm getting off when one badmouths my brothers."

"So what's the real story?"

The green-skinned woman sobered down and sighed. "I don't believe I'm actually considering talking about it. You are very devious in your own, unique way, you know. Very well, but a word about this goes out and it's buffoon open season", she threatened.

"Nice, I'm in no danger then", he chirped, gaining a death stare. "Story?"

"First of all, let me tell you I'm envious of you and Possible because you remind me what I have lost. I had two very close friends as a kid. We must have met before school during our daycare days and we stayed tight till… the end. In high school we were the Weird Troika. I was the green-skinned freak, he was an overachiever with a small telepathic gift and she was a slacker genius. He always had to keep moving and prevailing. She barely passed her classes because and I quote 'trying harder seems too much like work'. I was kind of the middle woman, keeping us together."

Ron laughed at that. "I never thought you'd be the saner one."

Shego couldn't help but smile. "Don't listen to Hego's steam. We three were the ones that got the team Go idea. My brothers were merely the muscle of the outfit and even that was questionable. The outfits, the plans, the Go tower, the jet, the gadgets, most of our fame, everything they owned to us three. Even though my idiot brothers shunned my friends they were utterly dependent on our troika. They didn't care about fame, they simply wanted to make a difference. In our Junior year we even stopped horsing around and acknowledged we were more than friends."

The blonde blinked in disbelief. "As in all three of you?" he asked tentatively.

He could swear he saw Shego's eyes gleaming. "Never heard of a three way relationship, sport? Things got physical very fast and we didn't give a damn about what my brothers or our peers thought of us." Her face went grim after that. "A year later, I got myself captured by a semi-intelligent villain, Metallos. He was a cyborg freak, half his body was machine. My brothers refused to listen to my friend's plan. In the end, my two friends died before my eyes while shielding me and getting me free.

Ron paled at that. "Um… sorry to hear that. I…"

A dark smile touched Shego's face. "Oh no you don't. When I start this story, nobody moves until I'm done", she declared her hands erupting with her green glow. Ron nodded frantically and she resumed. "My 'dear' brothers came late and the only thing they did was stopping me from killing Metallos. He is still in some stupid clinic; I left him a vegetable. For the following two years, I clamped down and dedicated myself to school and the team. I finished high school as well as a bunch of university courses in record time. I did my best to teach everything I knew about martial arts to my worthless brothers and I trained harder than ever. Then I discovered the terrible truth."

The freckled youth gulped. "The reason you quit I guess."

She nodded, her eyes unfocusing. "It's ironic really. Global Justice had secretly chipped team Go, including my friends, with tracer chips. Unfortunately Metallos figured it out and learned to trace the signal himself. That's how he caught me in the first place and that's how he knew my friends had come for me. I was furious, of course, but I really snapped when I overheard Mego and Hego talking. They were saying how good it was for me that these 'worthless friends' of mine were gone. They had the gal to say they were holding me and all of the team back! I smashed the door open, beat them both to submission and left that very night."

"So you blame GJ for what happened", he asked after a while.

Shego sighed, creating a tiny green flame on the tip of her index and staring in it. "Metallos might have killed them, but that was his job. He got what he deserved, but he never deceived us. Global Justice was supposed to be a trusted ally, yet their chips betrayed us in the end. I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't quite sane after they both died on me. Hell, I wasn't quite sane during the first two years as a mercenary, before I met Drew. I got better since then. Perhaps the numbskull made me soft. What I know is that I don't regret turning my life to the other side."

Ron appeared thoughtful. "You mean if you had a second chance, you would have done the same?"

She stretched royally, letting her guard down completely. "Exactly. If I could go back, I would of course try to keep my pals alive but other than that... I love my life, Stoppable. People fear my name. I am filthy rich. I'm an adrenaline junkie and I love playing whack a bitch with your girlfriend. No prison can hold me for long. My powers give me speed, strength, endurance and a tiny IQ boost in addition to the green Glow. Plus, until recently I had decided I would never find someone for me. Not sure if it's love or gratitude with Dr. D, but I haven't felt like that for a long while. They say that no one is truly free. What I say is that the bounds of my freedom are pretty damn wide. I can still play hero and save someone if I feel like it. I can see something shinny and steal it at a whim. I can be compulsive aggressive as long as I don't kill anyone. I can even sprout my life's cliff notes on a relative stranger just for the hell of it."

He eyed her carefully, scratching his neck. "Not that it's not exiting, but how came you just told me all that?"

Shego shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. Perhaps it's because we are probably going to die in a month."

"You really believe that, don't you?" he asked anxiously. As on cue, a grand explosion erupted from one of the center's buildings, sending a draft of hot air to caress their faces.

- - -

"Doodles, James! I never said I was ready! Why did you flip the switch!" came Drakken's voice from a newly formed and prominently gapping hole on the wall.

"Sorry about that, Drew. Someone, and I mean you Peter, crossed the cables while connecting the Inverted Intersignal Instigator with the Peripheral Pan-perpetual Polerator", followed Dr. Possible's voice, accompanied by a smog-induced choir of coughs.

Drakken sounded incredulous. "Why for all that is holy is there an Inverted Intersignal Instigator involved? We are trying to stop a meteor, not shred the very fabric of reality to ribbons! This thing wasn't cheap either!"

- - -

"Case. In. Point" declared Shego dramatically. "I don't trust them to save us further than I can throw them... while they are strapped on their homes."

"**Homing** missiles aside, I think you are a bit harsh on them", riposted Ron. "It is what they do, after all."

The green-skinned mercenary sighed tiredly. "I know their kind, Stoppable. Most are brilliant but stupid. They have knowledge but lack real imagination. Since they haven't solved this problem spontaneously, it will take them a long time and don't get me started on their teamwork or the obvious lack thereof." She finished her line with a yawn.

"They can't be that bad... I hope."

Shego nodded and yawned again, her eyelids threatening to drop any moment. "Now there was one of them I really respected, but he lasted only one day, even if he did kick ass. Perhaps it would take the 'Big Dog' to get this stupid pebble off its course." After a while, she shot up in a daze. "Did I fall asleep, Stoppable? Huh?" She turned around, quirking a brow. "Now why would the sidekick bail on me like that. And why do I feel I said something wrong..."

- - -

Dr. Betty Director stifled yet another yawn and tried to school her bloodshot eye and tired features back to a semblance of authority. Her body and mind both longed for rest, but she felt that leaving her post would be shrinking her responsibilities. Her subordinates had other ideas.

"Dr. Director!" demanded one of the senior agents at her side. "I must insist that you rest. There is nothing more you can contribute presently and you have endured the last 72 hours without sleep."

She turned to face him, her mind sluggish. "I appreciate the concern, agent Johnson, but we are still under red alert. Most of our resources are channeled to research and development and we only have a skeleton crew to deal with the usual crazies."

The agent seemed ready to back off, but then his features hardened. "I must insist, Dr. Director! I apologize in advance, but in your condition I doubt you would be an asset in case something goes wrong. Please be reasonable."

Elizabeth let a deep sigh and nodded. "Very well, you are of course correct. I will retire to my quarters but make sure I am alerted should something go wrong."

The agent appeared relieved. "Of course. Make sure you take your time and we will do our best to keep the world intact till then."

She nodded, offering the ghost of a smile, then stumbled away, marginally capable of walking.

Another agent turned to Johnson. "You are one lucky bastard, you know. If the boss was any less tired, she would have bitten your head off."

He sighed. "I know her kind. She needs someone to keep her brilliance and zest in check, or she'll burn out." A second later he blinked. "She was so tired she forgot to leave someone in charge as she usually does."

The other agent scratched his chin. "By default, the one in charge should be the ranking agent. That's either Denton, if he's back, or you."

Agent Johnson pondered that a bit. "Actually, because of the red alert status, the one in charge is the most capable agent", he added, his voice filled with dread.

His partner's eyes went wide. "No, not him! Tell me we don't have to deal with that arrogant, incompetent poser that keeps lucking out and has yet to screw up. He is a catastrophe waiting to happen!"

The other nodded gravely. "Afraid so. Unless he is not informed..."

At that point, the door to the command center opened and a new figure walked in. "According to the GJ protocol, I Agent William Du will assume command during Dr. Director's absence", he declared. "I will need a complete status report in five minutes."

The two agents groaned in frustration.

- - -

Ron lied on his bed inside his currently empty home, arms and legs inanimate, his eyes staring at the ceiling.

"Kim is right. Dying by a meteor is dumb. Something must be done" he declared to no one at all. "I should be able to use my monkey powers and stop it."

"Not likely", came the response and he turned to glare at his own image. Mystic-Ron was sitting in lotus position and levitating above the floor, blue aura all around him. "Even by summoning as much power as in our awakening, we'd need a few centuries of training to deal with something that big."

Ron sighed. "Maybe we'll luck out again. What is the probability of it being a false alarm?"

Odds-Ron, raised a brow from the chair he was seated in. He replied without even looking at the calculator in his hands. "What are the odds Wade AND Mr. Dr. P are wrong?" he snapped back.

Ron nodded dejectedly. "Point taken. They are never wrong. With them in the game, everything will be fine. No need for the Ron-man to worry", he muttered weakly.

Pre-K-Ron kicked him on the thigh. "No! Kimmie needs us. She is sad and she will be hurt by the bad rock. It will be worse than... than monkeys! We need to save our friend."

Self-centered-Ron nodded while leaning on the wall. "For once I agree with the squirt. You saw them. I like being alive just fine, thank you very much."

Ron slapped a hand on his forehead. "Talking to myself is bad enough. How about we find intelligent proposals?" he complained.

"Oh, I will be happy to oblige", came the voice from his desk and he turned to glare at Zorpox-Ron.

"And why do I see my intelligent ideas on your face?" he inquired annoyed.

Z-Ron crossed his arms defensively. "It's not my fault we are at our brightest when evil. I'm not even really what we become, just the echo of how you perceive us we are attitudinized."

Ron sighed. "Fine, just say your piece. You are more useful than these guys anyway", he said indicated the rest of his imagination's figments.

His counterpart smirked, eyes gleaming behind orange goggles. "We have to make a choice here, Ron. Just remember that doing nothing is also a choice. We can sit back and chillax. KP will sneak inside early tomorrow, feeling lower than dirt, and she will probably cuddle up to us while we are still asleep. If we are lucky, she will apologize without making us breakfast and thus we won't have to call the HAZMAT people again. Then she will spend the rest of the day hanging around us and trying to seduce us. As if she needs to try."

Ron blushed at that. "I don't think..."

Z-Ron snorted in laughter. "She has been dropping hints since Christmas. After her attitude yesterday and last week's stress?" He turned to Odds-Ron. "What's the probability of Kim wanting to go all the way within the next three days?"

Odds-Ron punched some numbers in his calculator, then grinned. "98 percent."

Z-Ron kept his laughter in check. "And what's the probability we'll manage to refuse?"

Odds-Ron discarded his calculator. "I don't deal with such small numbers. I'm not even sure they exist."

Ron sighed. "Fine, I get it. Kimila will be in the zone."

Z-Ron nodded. "The best month of our life, Ron. It will be a honeymoon in everything but name. We know how KP overcompensates for her blunders. After that... well we'll have to risk the very real possibility of dying in each other's arms along with everything and everyone. You know what the only other viable option is. We will be risking everything, of course. Even if we succeed, Kim might not forgive us. Plus, who knows what we will be capable of? She might be relatively safe despite our... attitude, but she will still be hurt mentally. We'll even have to fight against her."

Ron scowled. "Isn't that a bon-digitty array of choices?" he asked towards his desk, where a certain naked mole rat was asleep.

Z-Ron decided to go for the tiebreaker. "I fear the real question is this. What scares us more? Kim's death or Kim's rejection? Our death or our insanity? If we take our one month paradise, will we be able to look Kim in the eyes a moment before we die, knowing we didn't do our absolute best?"

Ron wiped a tear from his cheek and sat up. "In the end, it's not really a choice", he decided, examining the device next to his bed. It had taken him a half-hour to find the black helmet among the junk piled in his wardrobe. "Even if it's the most stupid thing I've ever done in my life and that's saying something."

With trembling hands, he placed the repaired Attitudinator on his head and pressed the activation monogram on his forehead.

- - -

And there you have it. Things will start heating up from the next chapter. Kim won't be the only one unhappy with Ron's choice and he will only have a month to act. I hope their quarrel in this chapter did not seem too outlandish. Mental fatigue is very bad and doubled with Kim's... kimness can lead to nasty situations. After all, perfectionists like Kim judge themselves even harder than their peers. As for Shego's story, I first thought of writing it as an actual story. I might do so someday, but don't hold your breaths.


End file.
